Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis have been hired by Chicago Cubs’ executive Theo Epstein, their old boss on the Boston Red Sox. After serving as a player-coach for Triple-A Iowa during the second half of last season, Ramirez was announced Tuesday as the Cubs’ hitting consultant. ”Manny got rave reviews from everybody he worked with, from the young hitters he helped influence to the coaches he spent a lot of time around,” said Epstein, the Cubs’ president of baseball operations. ”He did a great job of fitting in and sharing his wisdom and experience while being a good influence.” Suspended by Major League Baseball in 2009 and 2011 for performance-enhancing drugs, Ramirez made a positive impression with Epstein last summer.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Ronald Belisario has fractured his non-throwing shoulder in a swimming pool accident and is not expected to be ready for the start of the season.

Evan Longoria trusts the Tampa Bay Rays to get it right, so he has no complaints about the club’s winter makeover. Not that the star third baseman was happy to see the franchise lose manager Joe Maddon and front office executive Andrew Friedman within a 10-day span of October, then watch their successors spend much of the next three months revamping the roster through a series of trades and free agent signings that have filled the clubhouse with new faces. ”Sometimes things are needed and necessary to kind of keep you on track.” The Rays’ career leader in home runs and RBIs stressed that that’s no knock on Maddon, who guided the Rays to four playoffs berths over a six-year span before finishing with Tampa Bay’s first losing record since 2007 last season. The Rays hired Kevin Cash, who has no previous managerial experience, to succeed the popular Maddon.

When veteran reliever Ronald Belisario inked a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays this winter, he knew he’d have to earn his way on to the roster following a disappointing 2014 campaign with the Chicago White Sox. In 62 appearances, Belisario posted a 5.56 ERA while allowing a career worst 78 hits in 66.1 innings. The innings total was actually his fourth lowest in five full seasons, so that confirms it was a real struggle. Still, a real opportunity awaited Belisario when he arrived to Port Charlotte, Fla, for Rays camp, but unfortunately he didn’t make it there in one piece. According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Belisario suffered a fractured left shoulder in a freak accident while climbing out of his swimming pool, and that all but guarantees he’ll be on the outside looking in on opening day. #Rays say RH Belisario has a fractured left shoulder, won’t do anything on field for 2 weeks. Happened in accident before reported to camp — Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) February 28, 2015 #Rays say Belisario was injured getting out of a swimming pool several weeks ago. Won’t be ready to start season. — Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) February 28, 2015 According to Belisario, he actually suffered the fall about a month ago but never had his shoulder looked at by doctors. The injury was diagnosed upon his arrival to camp, and it’s reported he’ll be sidelined from baseball activities for the next two weeks as a result. For a guy in his position, that might as well be two years, because his time frame to make an impression was already limited as is. [ Baseball is back! Check out Yahoo For Spring Training for great spring training pics. ] It’s unknown what the timetable might have been had Belisario had the injury checked out initially. One could safely assume he’d be much closer to returning though, so the decision to not get checked might be even more costly than the injury itself. As Mike Axisa of Eye on Baseball notes, this continues a troubling trend for Belisario, which has seen him miss the beginning of spring training five times since 2009. His issues have included two separate late arrivals due to visa problems and two suspensions for drug abuse. If there’s a silver lining to this year’s predicament, it’s that those issues seem to be behind him. Another silver lining is that the injury occurred to his non-throwing shoulder. That means he’ll be able to resume throwing without restrictions as soon as he gets the all clear, but he’ll be so far behind that a stint in the minor leagues would be required just to get him up to speed. It’s expected that he’ll remain with the Rays throughout that process and have an opportunity to earn his spot during the season. [ Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today! ] So not all is lost, but there are two important lessons here. 1. If something doesn’t feel right, go see a doctor. It can save you time, and it might save you from having to reveal that you were injured climbing out of a swimming pool. 2. Beware of swimming pools. More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports: – - – - – - – Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813

It appears as though 2015 is shaping up to be quite a year for Josh Phegley. Stephen Vogt is listed as the Athletics’ No. 1 catcher, but he is returning to health after foot surgery and likely will be limited for a while. Vogt hits left-handed, Phegley right-handed. ”Things have been going well so far,” Phegley said Saturday.

The only way Grant Balfour knows how to leave one season behind and begin preparing for another is by having a short memory. The veteran relief pitcher’s return to the Tampa Bay Rays didn’t go as well as expected in 2014, however he’s confident he can regain the consistency that made him one of the most effective closers in the American League over the previous two seasons. ”Whether it was a good year or bad year I don’t sit and harp on it,” Balfour said. I move on to the next year.” A mainstay in the bullpen that helped the Rays make an improbable run to the World Series in 2008, the 37-year-old right-hander spent three productive seasons with the Oakland Athletics before returning to Tampa Bay on a two-year, $12 million contract last winter.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton was on the minds of his teammates Thursday, a day after he was in New York to meet with Major League Baseball officials about an unspecified disciplinary issue. The 33-year-old Hamilton has a history of drug addiction and alcohol abuse, leading to suspensions that cost him more than three years while in the minors. The Angels have confirmed Hamilton’s meeting with MLB, but have declined to give any more information. ”We’ll wait for Major League Baseball and see what the next step is.

New Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister finally got to address the entire team Thursday, more than four months after getting the job. In a team meeting before the first full-squad workout, Banister had a simple message. The Rangers had an American League-high 95 losses last season, their most since 1985. Great players.” With all the injuries last year, including losing slugger Prince Fielder and ace pitcher Yu Darvish for significant portions of the season, the Rangers hope last year was more of an anomaly.